Hinge



March 13, 1934. J ATWQQD 1,950,443

HINGE Filed May 13, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l III/11011111111114 March 13;1934.

' J. T. ATWOOD HINGE Filed May 13, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- villi/112%!Patented Mar. 13, 1934 PATENT OFFICE HINGE James T. Atwood, Rockford,111.

Application May 13, 1933, Serial No. 670,951 11 Claims. (01. 296-44)This invention relates to hinges for the doors of motor vehicles, and isparticularly concemed' with a novel hinge and method of mounting thesame with a view to minimizing the extent of pro- 5 jection of the hingefrom the body and making the'hinge less conspicuous and more pleasing inappearance.

In my applications, Serial Nos. 665,404- and 668,517, I disclosed ahinge and mounting affording substantially complete concealment as wellas a substantially flush exterior on the body at the hinges. Theprincipal object of the present invention is to provide a similarhingeand mounting with what might be termed semi-concealment,

to a small degree. Despite the projection, however, I have aimed with mypresent invention to keep concealed the uncovered back of the knuckleportionswhich, with the old practice, was left exposed and presented anunsightly appearance.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be brought out in thecourse of the following detailed description, in which reference is madeto the accompanying drawings, wherein-- Figure 1 is a side view of aportion of an automobile body showing the external appearance secured atthe hinges with the construction of my invention; A

of Figure, 1, showing the semi-concealed hinge and the novel method ofmounting the same;

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are sections similar to Fig. 2 showing modified oralternative constructions;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line 66 of Fig. 4, and t Fig. '1 isanother horizontal section showing a further modified or alternativeconstruction.

Similar reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughoutthe views.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, 10 indicates a portionof anautomobile body on which a door 11 is hinged. The hinges provided inaccordance with my invention are more or less in concealment'at thepoints 12 and 13 where the jogs since the-hinges preferablyproject fromthe body- Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 accommodate thehinge entirely behind the plane of the outside of the door and body sothat the door panel, a portion of which is shown at 20, and the hingecover 21 come almost flush with the body panel 22, in keeping with thespirit of this design, the panel 20 at least being flush with the bodypanel 22, and the cover 21 on the hinge projecting slightly asindicated. The inner member 15 is fastened to the pillar 18 in thebottom of the pressed-in portion 19, as by screws 23 which thread into areenforcing member 24, welded or otherwise suitably secured on theinside of the pillar. The inner member is relatively short and the outermember elongated, the latter extending beyond the end of the innermember behind the marginal flange 25 of the door and through an opening26 in the door frame to permit fastening the same onto a reenforcingmember 27 of angular cross-section, welded or otherwise suitably securedon the inside of the door frame. Cap screws 28 are entered freelythrough holes in the reenforcement from the inside of the door frame andthreaded directly in holes in the outer hinge member. This fastening is,of course, attended to before the interior finish is applied to thedoor. Lock washers are preferably'provided for all of the fasteningscrews although they are shown only under the heads of the screws 28.The flange 25, previously referred to, 'isformed by folding the edge ofthe door panel 20v over the 5 outwardly bent edge of the door frame andsuitably welding the same thereto. This flange is accommodated in therabbet 29 in the door pillar and offers protection from the weather forthe joint between the-door and the body, the usual seals being providedas part of the interior finish to close the joint from the inside. Thecover21 is simply a stamped sheet metal member formed with a slightcrown, as indicated, for neatness in appearance and having opposed topand bottom flanges welded, as indicated at 30, to the adjacent edges ofthe outer hinge member. This cover will, of course, be finished to matchthe door and body panels or else to give some desired contrast. There isan opening 31 in the body panel at the recessed portion 19 of the doorpillar large enough to allow for operating clearance around the hinge.

appearance of the car is greatly improved by virtue of this mounting ofthe hinges and the external appearance going with it. Then, too,considering the fact that the greatest strains are imposed on the hingesin the running of the car, the present invention offers greater rigidityfor the door because of the fact that the hinges are disposedsubstantially in the plane of the door as distinguished from the oldpractice of having them in a plane at right angles to the door.Obviously, there are no complications involved in the assembling nor inthe construction of the pressed steel door and body and there is noweakening of any part by reason of what little special forming isnecessitated. The door can be adjusted to a central position in the dooropening before the screws 28 are tightened and in that way any slightirregularity in the mounting of the hinges on the body is compensatedfor, the adjustability being provided by virtue of the holes in thereenforcing members 27 being larger than the shanks of the screws, asshown.

Before proceeding any further, it should be understood that theconstruction just described and those later to be described may bereversed with relation to the door and body without departing from thespirit of my invention. That is to say, while 10 designates the body and11 the door, the part designated 10 might be considered the door and thepart 11 the body, it being im material which part of the assembly shown'is swung relative to the other. The claims must be construedaccordingly.

The construction disclosed in Fig. 3 is quite similar to that of Fig. 2but instead of an ordinary butt type hingeembodies a covered joint hingeso that there is no need for a separate cover 21. In other words, theinner hinge member 15' has a knuckle portion received within the cover21' formed on the end of the outer hinge member 16', a pintle 1'? beingentered through the top and bottom flanges 32 of the outer hinge memberand through the knuckle of the inner hinge member to pivotally connectsaid members. The cover portion 21' and the adjacent portion of theouter hinge member left exposed will, of course, be finished to matchthe door and body panelsor else to give some desired contrast. In thisconstruction, it will also be observed that the 50 hinge projectsfarther from the body, the pintle '17 being disposed with its axisapproximately in the plane of the outside of the door and body portions.This projection is, however, not enough:

to leave the uncovered back of the hinge knuckles exposed, only thecover portion being left exposed. This gives the much desired finishedap-' pearance. The outward displacement of the hinge pintle enablesshortening up the hinge arms to the extent indicated from a comparisonof Figs. 2 and 3, and still allow for clearance of the flanged edge 25of the door with respect to the bulge in the body referred to in theother two-applications mentioned above.

Figs. 4-6 show other constructions quite similar to that of Fig. 3,especially adapted for use on cars which do not have the flanged doorsand rabbeted pillars. In Figs. 4 and 6, a covered joint hinge similar tothat of Fig. 3 is shown in which the inner member 15a is straightbut-disposed at an acute angle with respect to the plane of the door andbody portions 'on an angled. seat 33 provided on the door pillar andfastened by screws 23 to a reenforcing member 24 welded, or otherwisesuitably secured, on the inside of the door pillar. The outer hingemember 160 is bent at about the middle to provide a portion 34 inparallelism with the inner member 15a and another portion 35 in theplane of the door and body portions, fastened to a reenforcing member 27by screws 29 after the manner of Figs. 2 and 3. The portion 34 projectsfrom the body and has the end thereof formed with a cover 21a enclosingthe knuckle 36 of the inner hinge member. The usual pintle 17a isentered through the top and bottom flanges 32 on the outer hinge memberand through the knuckle 36 of the inner hinge member to pivotallyconnect said members. The portion 34 of the outer hinge member will, ofcourse, be finished to match the flhisti of the door and body panels 20'and 22', respectively, or else to secure some desired contrast. It isapparent from an inspection of Fig. 4 that there are no unsightlyportions of the hinge left ex posed so that the hinges present a neatworkmanlike appearance.

The hinge of Fig. 5 corresponds to that of Fig. 4 with the exceptionthat it is an ordinary butt type hinge composed of an inner member 15band an outer member 16b having a separate cover 21b fitting over theexposed portion of the outer hinge member and having top and bottomflanges 37 welded, or otherwise suitably secured to the edges of theouter hinge member, as indicated at 38. The cover may, of course, beformed to any desired shape. It is shown as having a slight crown on theface thereof. The cover will be finished to match the door andbodypanels 20 and 22', respectively, or to present some desiredcontrast. With this construction, it should also be apparent that nounsightly portion of the hinge is left exposed although the hingeprojects from the body to the extent shown.

The hinge shown in Fig. 7 is similar to that of Figs. 3-5 to the extentthat it is a covered joint hinge whose cover has the edge thereof nextto the outside of the body so as not to leave exposed any portion of theinner hinge member, whereby to give a neat workmanlike appearance. Thishinge, however, has much more projecting from the outside of the body byvirture of its special construction. The inner hinge member 150 insteadof being fastened to the front wall of the door pillar 18' is disposedon the side of the pillar and fastened by screws 23' to a reenforcingmember 24' welded, or otherwise s 'tably secured, on the inside of thepillar. The outer end of the member 150 is bent at right angles, asindicated at 39, and provided with knuckles to receive the pintle 17 forpivotally connecting the inner hinge member with the companion knuckleson the outer hinge member 160. The latter is fastened to the edge ofthedoor by screws 28' entered in a reenforcing member 27 welded, orotherwise suitably secured, on the inside of the door frameand the outerend thereof is bent at right angles, as indicated at 40, so as toenclose the bent portion 39 of the inner hinge member. The portion 40terminates in a curved cover 210 enclosing the knuckles on the inner andouter hinge members so that nothing of an unsightly nature is leftexposed, looking at the sides of the parts. A top plate 41, which isstraight on the edge lying next to the door and body panels 20" and 22",respectively, has the rest of its edges curved to correspond to theshape of the outer hinge member, the plate being welded, or otherwisesuitably secured, to the top edge of the outer hinge member, asindicated at 42. A hole is, of course, provided in the plate 41 'toreceive the pintle 1'7. While I have described an outer hinge member ofthis particular construction it should, of course, be understood that Iam not confined thereto inasmuch as the covering of the outer hingemember, instead of being in part integral with the member, might beformed entirely integral with said member or else a separate sheet metalcover might be provided to enclose the outer hinge member from the topand sides or from the top, bottom, and sides. The structures of Figs. 3and 4 are examples of hinges having cover means entirely integral withthe outer hinge a good understanding of the objects and advantages of myinvention, and the appended claims have been drawn with a ,view tocovering all legitimate modifications and adaptations."

I claim:

1. In an automobile construction, a body portion, a door portion, and "ahinge for hingedly supporting the door portion on the body portion, saidhinge comprising pivotally connected inner and outer hinge membersmounted on the door and body portions, the outer hinge member having aprojecting cover enclosing the end of the inner hinge member andterminating substantially in the plane of the door and body portions soas not to leave any portion of the inner hinge member exposed.

2. In an automobile construction, the combination of a body portion, adoor portion arranged to swing on a substantially vertical axis relativeto the body portion, the meeting edges of the door and body portionsdefining a substantially straight joint line in a transverse verticalplane, a hinge for hingedly supporting the door on the body, the hingecomprising a pintle laterally spaced with respect to the joint line anddisposed substantially in the plane of the outside of the door and bodyportions, and inner and outer hinge members carried on the door and bodyportions and pivotally connected together by said pintle, the outerhinge member projecting outwardly from the plane of the body and havinga cover thereon to enclose the end of the inner hinge member, the coverreaching to a point substantially in the plane of the outside of thedoor and body portions whereby to completely conceal the inner hingemember.

3. In combination, av car body comprising a door pillar, a doorswingable on the pillar as a support,- and a covered joint hingecomprising inner and outer members mounted on portions of the doorpillar and door with their pivotally connected portions projectingoutwardly from the plane of the body and disposed in a planesubstantially parallel to the plane of the outside ofthe door and bodyso that the cover portion of the outer hinge member terminates closeenough to the plane of the outside of the body to conceal the innerhinge member, leaving only the outer hinge member exposed to view whenthe door is closed.

4. In an automobile construction, the combination of a body portion,'.adoor portion arand body portions and pivotally connected together by apintle, the outer hinge member being bent so as to project from theplane of the outside of the body and dispose the hinge pintle on theouter end thereof in laterally spaced relation to the joint line andsubstantially in the plane of the outside of the door and 'bodyportions.

5. In an automobile construction, the combination of a body portion, adoor portion arranged to swing on a substantially vertical axis relativeto the body portion, the meeting edges of the door and body portionsdefining a substantially straight joint line in a transverse verticalplane, and a hinge for hingedly supporting the door on the body, thesame comprising inner and outer hinge members mounted on the door andbody portions and pivotally connected to gether by a pintle, the outerhinge member being bent so as to project from the plane of the outsideof the body and dispose the hinge pintle on the outer end thereof inlaterally spaced relaportions defining a substantially straight jointline in a transverse vertical plane, panels on the door and bodyportions substantially flush with one another, the body portion havinghinge openings provided in the panel thereof adjacent the door andforming jogs in the joint line, and a hinge disposed in each of saidopenings comprising inner and outer members fastened to the pillar anddoor, respectively, and pivotally connected together by a pintle, thelatter being disposed substantially in the plane of the outside of thedoor and body portions so that the ings provided in the panel thereofadjacent the door and forming jogs in the joint line, and a hingedisposed each of said openings comprising inner and outer membersfastened to the pillar and door, respectively, and pivotally connectedtogether by a pintle, the latter being disposed substantially in theplane, of the outside of the 'door and body portions so that the outerhinge member projects correspondingly to a small extent from the planeof the outside of the body, the outer hinge member having a coverportion concealing the joint between the inner and outer hinge members.

8. In combination, a car body comprising a door pillar, a door swingableon the pillar as a support, the meeting edges of the door and bodyportions defining a substantially straight joint line in a transversevertical plane, panels on the door and body portions substantially flushwith one another, the body portion having hinge openings provided in thepanel thereof adjacent the door and forming jogs in the joint line, anda hinge disposed in'each of said openings comprising inner and outermembers fastened to the pillar and door, respectively, and pivotallyconnected together by a pintle, the latter being disposed in laterallyspacedrelation to the joint line so that the inner and outer hingemembers are disposed substantially in the plane of the door and bodyportions, and a cover on the outer hinge member extending from thepintle laterally and terminating at the joint line.

9. In combination, a car body comprising a. door pillar, a doorswingable on the pillar as a support, the meeting edges of the door andbody portions defining a substantially straight joint line in atransverse vertical plane, panels on the door and body portionssubstantially flush with one another, the body portion having hingeopenings provided in the panel thereof adjacent the door and formingjogs in the joint line, and a hinge disposed in each of said openingscomprising inner and outer members fastened to the pillar and door,respectively, and pivotally connected together by a pintle, the latterbeing disposed substantially in the plane of the outside of the door andbody portions so that the outer hinge member projects correspondingly toa small extent from the plane of the outside of the body, and a cover onthe outer hinge member extending laterally from the pintle andterminating at the joint line.

10. In combination, a car body comprising a door pfllar, a doorswingable on the pillar as a support, the meeting edges of the door andbody portions defining a substantially straight joint line in atransverse vertical plane, a hinge comprising inner and outer membersfastened to the adjacent edges of the door and pillar and projectingoutwardly from the plane of the door and body, the outer end of theinner member being -bent laterally and the outer end of the outer hingemember being correspondingly bent whereby to dispose the pivotallyconnected knuckle portions thereof in laterally spaced relation to the.joint line and close to the plane of the outside of the door and body,and cover means for said outer end portions terminating substantiallyflush with the outside of the door and body.

11. In combination, a car body comprising a door pillar, a doorswingable on the pillar as a support, the meeting edges of the door andbody portions defining a substantially straight joint line in atransverse vertical plane, a hinge comprising inner and outer membersfastened to the adjacent edges of the door and pillar and projectingoutwardly from the plane of the door and body, the outer end of theinner member being bent laterallyand the outer end of the outer hingemember being correspondingly bent where- Qby to dispose thepivotallyconnected knuckle portions thereofin laterally spaced relation to thejoint line and close to the plane of the outside of the door and body,and cover means for said outer end portions'carried on the outer hingemember and terminating substantially flush with the outside of the doorand body.

JAMES T.\ATWOOD.

